The present invention relates to the field of vehicle roof top luggage holders.
It is inconvenient and sometimes extremely difficult to have to lift heavy items onto and off a vehicle roof rack. This problem is increased when attempting to lift items onto and from higher roofed vehicles such as MPV""s. It is known that rollers and track guides can be used to slide a roof rack along the vehicle roof and down the tailgate or front bonnet of the vehicle. This however involves the permanent fitting of the tracks onto the vehicle at manufacture. Access via the tailgate remains when the tracks are fitted to the front of the vehicle. However, when the tracks are fitted to the rear of the vehicle, access through the tailgate during luggage loading and unloading is impossible.
There also exist systems whereby bicycles are loaded and unloaded at the side of the vehicle and lifted to and from the roof. These require various attachments and are capable of lifting only one bicycle at a time, by manual or powered means.
According to the invention, a vehicle roof top luggage holder comprising a roof track, a roof rack for receiving luggage, and a rear frame, the roof track extending generally to the fore and aft of the vehicle on the vehicle roof, with the roof rack being moveably mounted with respect to the roof track to the fore of the vehicle and pivotally attached to the rear frame at the aft of the vehicle, characterised in that the rear frame comprises a hinge arm connected pivotally to the rear of the roof rack and pivotally attached to the rear of the vehicle, one of the rear frame and roof rack including a cross bar positioned essentially horizontally across the rear of the roof of the vehicle, the arrangement whereby the roof rack may swing down, facilitated by the leverage action of the hinge arm of the rear frame, to the rear of the vehicle, enabling loading and unloading of the roof rack at the rear of the vehicle. The system outlined in this invention allows the luggage to be loaded/unloaded at the rear of the vehicle, at a convenient height. It also allows for free access through the tailgate during loading/unloading. The tailgate itself can be used to lift the roof rack onto the roof, to save physical effort, alternatively the motion could be powered. The cross bar provides strength and rigidity and also may provide a useful handle for grabbing the rear area of the roof rack/rear frame to move it.
Preferably the pivotal attachment of the roof rack to the rear frame is constrained such that the roof rack to pivots about one axis only. This ensures the luggage holder is both stable and swings down for loading and unloading in a controlled and smooth running manner. The choice of the type of pivot used is left to the discretion of the skilled addressee of the specification.
Although possible for the rear frame to comprise only one central hinge arm, preferably it includes two parallel hinge arms both pivotally connected to the vehicle and the roof rack. This together with the cross bar serves to constrain the pivotal movement of the roof rack. The use of the invention allows the roof rack to swing down to the rear of the vehicle, improving the ease by which the roof rack can be loaded/unloaded. This is of particular use when loading heavy items or when used on MPV""s and other vehicles of above average height. The preferred use of the invention is for use on estate vehicles and MPV""s that have a rear hatch tailgate. The use on these vehicles allows for ease of mounting the rear frame onto the vehicle without obscuring the drivers rear view. However where the vehicle does not have a tailgate the rear frame can be mounted on the rear-most pillar of the vehicle in a position such that the drivers rear view is not impeded.
The swinging movement of the roof rack between the loading/unloading position and the storage position can be by manual or powered means. Where the invention is being used on a vehicle that has a tailgate, it is preferred that the loading/unloading position is substantially parallel to the vehicle tailgate If the vehicle does not have a tailgate it is suggested that the loading/unloading position is such that the roof rack is essentially horizontal. Both suggested positions are aimed at ensuring minimum effort is expended on the users part.
The roof rack itself can be easily adapted so that it can store any number of objects, such as bicycles allowing the loading of more than one at a time, ski equipment or large containers, the users of which particularly benefit from the ease of loading and unloading provided by this invention.
It is a preferred feature of this invention that the roof rack is secured in place on the roof of the vehicle in the storage position by use of a latch. The latch is located at the joint attaching the roof rack to the rear frame, preventing the slider moving along the roof tracks. For loading the vehicle, the latch is released to allow the free movement of the roof rack along the roof track.
The roof track itself can either be fixed as an integral part of the vehicle roof such that it takes the form a recess gutter in the vehicle roof. This method would largely be available to new vehicles only as it would be preferred that the gutter and track be formed at the production stage. However the track can be fitted to existing vehicles, post production, by the fixing of the tracks onto the vehicle roof.
The roof rack is connected to the roof track to allow for its smooth movement along the roof track. The movement of the roof rack along the roof track can be facilitated by a number of means for example rollers or sliders. Preferably the roof rack is slidably mounted with respect to the roof track.
The movement of the roof rack along the roof track can be achieved by manual or powered means. The movement of the roof rack along the roof of the vehicle forces the hinge arm of the rear frame to pivot about its attachment with the vehicle tailgate. The hinge arm then swings back out to the rear of the vehicle. The roof rack in turn pivots about its attachment with the rear frame, so as to be in a position that allows for easy loading/unloading of the roof rack. It is preferred that the pivot attachment of the hinge arm to both the vehicle and the roof rack are such that the movement of the rear hinge arm between the loading/unloading and storage position describes an arc. The loading/unloading position of the roof rack may be different for a vehicle that possesses a tailgate to one that does not. Where the vehicle has a tailgate it is preferred that the roof rack swings down to the rear of the vehicle to a position substantially parallel with the vehicle tailgate. This position couples the advantages of ease of luggage loading/unloading, with the retention of access through the tailgate when in the loading/unloading position. It also has the added advantage of providing the option of using the tailgate itself to assist in returning the roof rack to the storage position. However when the vehicle does not have a tailgate it is suggested that the roof rack swings down to a substantially horizontal position at the rear of the vehicle.
Once the roof rack has been loaded and the luggage is secured in place the roof rack can be returned to its storage position on the vehicle roof. Pushing the hinge arm, either manually or by powered means, in an upward direction pivots the hinge arm back to the storage position. The roof rack also pivots back round about the rear frame joint. The fore of the roof rack runs along the roof track sliding the roof rack back into its substantially horizontal position on the vehicle roof. The rack is secured by closing the latch. An advantage of this invention is that where the vehicle has a tailgate the roof rack does not have to be in the storage position to gain access through the tailgate. If the roof rack is in the load/unload position, the tailgate can be opened as normal. When the tailgate is opened it lifts the roof rack with it owing to its attachment thereto and the use of flexible pivotal joints. To continue loading/unloading the roof rack the tailgate is simply closed. This brings the roof rack back down to the loading/unloading position. This feature is of particular use with the manual version of the roof rack system. For very heavy items where a considerable force may be required to swing the hinge arm back upwards to the storage position, the vehicle tailgate could be used as a form of lifting device for pushing the hinged arm upwards and the roof rack back onto the vehicle roof.